6 Ways to Detox Through Your Skin

One of the major selling points of detoxifying your body is the promise of beautiful, glowing skin. This is why it can be pretty discouraging when instead of being delivered a smooth and flawless complexion, you get pimples, blackheads and other weird and wonderful skin blemishes. Kinda defeats the purpose, right? Well, no actually. As gross as the unwanted blemishes are, they are a natural part of the detoxifying process. Our skin is a major detoxifying organ. A lot of the crap that we have poured into our bodies over the years will be excreted through the pores of our skin when we decide to clean our insides up a little. However, this is done in quite a passive manner and it often needs a little assistance to get things moving. Thankfully, there are certain things you can do to speed up the detox process so that you can pass quickly through Toxin Town, stop for a quick bite to eat and arrive in Wellness-ville in no time. So, without further ado, here are a few ways you can help your body eliminate toxins through your skin.

1. Dry Body Brushing - Dry body brushing will boost circulation and stimulate the lymphatic system to release toxins. It also improves muscle tone and reduces puffiness and cellulite. Plus, it will leave your skin with a bright, youthful glow as it sloughs off dead skin cells that clog pores and encourages cell renewal. So, go out and purchase a natural body brush with a firm bristle. One with a long handle is generally best. The best time to do your body brushing is first thing in the morning, before you shower. Using gentle, circular movements brush towards your heart. Start with the soles of your feet and work your way up your legs, then hands and arms. Reach over and brush your back from the buttocks up the back and around to the stomach. Brush your tummy in an anti-clockwise direction.

2. Far Infrared Sauna Therapy – Sitting in a far infrared sauna for anywhere up to half an hour will not only help you to flush out toxins via your sweat, but it will improve circulation and internal congestion, promote the elimination of heavy metals, radioactive particles and other toxins and improve oxygenation of the blood.

3. Bikram Yoga – As with sitting in a sauna, practicing Bikram yoga for 90 minutes will also cause you to produce a heck of a lot of sweat. And where there is sweat, there is intense detoxification happening. That, paired with the especially-designed organ-detoxifying postures makes regular Bikram yoga classes an excellent inclusion to your wellness regime.
4. Rub Your Skin with 3% Hydrogen Peroxide – Hydrogen peroxide is kind of like liquid oxygen. Therefore, using it to rub or spray over your skin after showering will deliver oxygen through the pores of your skin and into your system. You can also add one to two cups of 35% hydrogen peroxide to a half bathtub of water for a detoxifying bath.

5. Clay - Applying a natural clay mask to your body is another clever way to entice toxins to come out through your skin. You can apply it to your face, make up a clay pack and apply it over your liver (to give your other major detoxifying organ a hand) or spread it over your entire body. Montmorillonite (not of marine origin) clay does this job really well. To prepare a clay pack, mix the dry clay powder with hot distilled water to make a spreadable paste. A layer about 2 to 3mm thick is spread onto a piece of clean, white cloth, placed onto the area and covered with a piece of plastic and a wool cloth. It’s then secured in place with a bandage and left for three to four hours. For a facemask, simply spread the paste over your skin and leave to dry for about 15 minutes before wiping off with a warm face washer.

6. Bathe in Apple Cider Vinegar – A hot bath prepared with a cup of organic raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and a cup of Epsom salts will draw toxins out through the skin and help accelerate the cleansing process. This can also help relieve joint pain as well as skin conditions like eczema and acne.

Jess Ainscough is an Australian-based freelance writer and the creator of the natural healing blog, The Wellness Warrior. Before being diagnosed with cancer in 2008 at age 22, Jess was a social reporter and online editor for a teen magazine. After leaving her job to focus on her health, she now spends her time drinking carrot juice, meditating, practicing Bikram yoga and learning everything she can about healing.